


Passover Problems

by Rubyya



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Jewish, Jewish Isaac O'Connor, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Pesach | Passover, Seder Pesach | Passover Seder (Judaism), Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubyya/pseuds/Rubyya
Summary: It's Passover and Isaac is stuck at a Seder with a bunch of strangers. What happens when he sees a shock of red hair amongst all the adults?
Relationships: Johnny Jhonny/Isaac O'Connor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Passover Problems

Isaac drank his grape juice as the prayer finished. That was one cup down, three more to go. The rest of the room was filled with adults who seemed to be enjoying the entire process. Isaac was most certainly not. Passover seders could be fun, but not really when it was with a whole bunch of strangers and no other kids his age. 

He loved singing the Kadesh with his cousins, and how they would carry around the pitcher and basin for Urchatz, the washing of the hands. The youngest children would be munching on matzah the entire time, and Isaac would have started to read the English translation of the stories. None of that was happening now. Instead he was sitting on the floor of a stranger’s house while people sang together, not very well. 

As the prayers continued Isaac noticed a mass of red hair getting up from the other side of the room. Johnny was here as well, and was apparently smart enough to use a bathroom break as a break from the boredom of arguing about prayers. As he passed by Isaac noticed him aggressively scratching his arms, covered in long sleeves despite the warm spring temperatures. When Johnny returned, Isaac couldn’t shake the smell of wet wolf filling the room.

\---

“And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” the leader of the seder said, “Shulchan Orech! Also known to many of you as dinner time.”

Isaac sighed in relief, along with many others in the room as he got up off the floor. He wanted to get some of the vegetarian section before everyone else ate it all. As he made his way over he saw Johnny practically shove his way out the back door. It was almost animalistic. With a longful glance at the food he’d waited hours to eat, Isaac followed Johnny outside. The latter was scratching up a storm while staring longingly up at the sky.

“Hey,” Isaac said, putting a gentle hand on Johnny’s shoulder.

At his touch Johnny spun around ready to punch, and almost punching Isaac in the face, before recognition crossed his face.

“You’re that nerd that was hanging out with Max. And you shot lightning!”

“That’s an...apt description of me,” Isaac noted.

“What are you doing here?”

“Here as in the party or out here with you?”

“Both,” Johnny scratched at his arms again, becoming visibly irritated.

Isaac grabbed Johnny’s arm to stop the scratching and began to drag him into the woods behind the house, “Well, I’m at the party because my parents dragged me here. I’m outside to help you.”

Despite Johnny’s attempted tugs to get away, Isaac was stronger. Having an angry thunder god in you does that. Isaac dragged Johnny farther and farther into the woods, the full moon guiding his path. Eventually the two of them reached a large oak tree with planks nailed on the front. Claw marks of all shapes and sizes covered the base.

“Welcome to the Were Tree,” Isaac said, beginning to climb the ladder.

“The Where Tree?” Johnny asked.

“Were as in werewolf or werecat,” Isaac clarified, pushing the trapdoor above and climbing through.

“Are we going to get attacked?” Johnny was skeptical, but climbed up the ladder as well.

“Nah, that’s not what the were part means,” Isaac held out a hand to Johnny, who took it.

“What does it mean then?”

“It’s a safe haven for werepeople to transform for a night.”

Johnny averted his gaze, and instead of replying took a look around. The treehouse was basic, with a simple floor around the trunk and walls just high enough to keep people from falling out. The tree branches provided a light ceiling, reminiscent of a sukkah.

“It’s pretty cool,” Johnny admitted, “But why’d you bring me here?”

“I saw you struggling not to transform, so I brought you here so you could.”

Johnny glared at Isaac, “I don’t need no help from you.”

Isaac simply shrugged, “I never said you had to stay.”

Johnny turned to go back down when he noticed some runes on the top of the trapdoor. He’d never been one to pay attention to what runes meant, and had actively skipped his parents lessons on them, but even he knew the basics. Peace and Defense were the most basic of the basic, and they covered the trapdoor.

“What are these runes for?” Johnny asked, a small part of him hoping the treehouse truly was a safe place. 

“Peace and Defense. Peace to help with the anger many were’s feel, and Defense to protect from any hunters,” Isaac was looking out into the forest, as if he didn’t care whether Johnny stayed or not.

Johnny’s hand had been reaching for the handle when Isaac’s words stopped him. It didn’t mean that much, but it did mean that at some point Isaac had learned runes, something most humans had no idea existed.

“You better not do anything weird,” Johnny warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

With a deep breath Johnny let himself transform. Hands and feet became paws and red fur covered his body. His senses became sharper as he took in the treehouse for the second time. It smelled just like the rest of the forest, but the real interesting thing was Isaac. The ginger boy smelled dangerous, like a summer storm about to turn for the worse. Yet sitting in the corner of the treehouse staring at the sky he looked almost serene. 

Johnny shook his head a few times to clear his mind before settling down in a different corner. He could still see Isaac, but he was far enough he had time to react. True to Isaac’s word, he didn’t do anything as the moon continued on it’s path. Eventually Johnny’s curiosity, and boredom, got the best of him. He crept closer and closer until his snout bumped into Isaac’s thigh.

“Hey there,” Isaac whispered.

Johnny poked his thigh again, earning a laugh. Johnny’s ears couldn’t help but perk up at that sound. It sounded like a gentle spring breeze, and he wanted to hear it more. This time Johnny poked his thigh with a paw, and got another laugh. In a move that would have been stupid for anyone else, Johnny wiggled his way onto Isaac’s lap, being rewarded with even more laughter.

“Broke down in the end, huh?” Isaac laughed.

Johnny simply whined and snuggled deeper into the ginger’s lap. The boy smelled dangerous, yes, but a safe kind of dangerous, and was making gentle noises. That was all Johnny needed right now. Isaac cautiously ran a hand over Johnny’s fur. When that set Johnny’s tail off Isaac couldn’t help but laugh again and pet the wolf in his lap. The night grew darker as the two of them sat in the corner.

\---

When Johnny woke up he was human again, half laying ontop of a still sleeping Isaac. It had been the most peaceful night he’d ever spent as a wolf. He’d normally be twisting and turning as his parents argued in the room next to him, his enhanced hearing meaning he heard everything being said. Johnny’s eyes widened as he realized his parents had no idea where he was. He shot up in an instant, or at least he tried to. His legs were still tangled with Isaac’s, causing him to fall back down with a scream, waking up Isaac.

“What happened and why are we screaming?” Isaac asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I gotta tell my folks where I am or they’re gonna freak!” Johnny explained, untangling himself.

“Already told them,” Isaac muttered, blinking at the bright sunlight now streaming through the branches.

“How’d you get my parents number?”

“I didn’t. I texted my parents and told them we left because there were too many people at the seder. They told your parents. Considering I didn’t get any panicked phone calls, they’re fine with it all.”

Johnny’s first instinct was to be skeptical, but it lined up with every other nice thing Isaac had done through the night to make him comfortable. And it had been kind of nice to be taken care of for once. Johnny couldn’t help but stare as Isaac stood up and stretched.

“Come on, we should head home.” 

Isaac opened the trapdoor and dropped straight down. In a second Johnny was over there automatically reaching his hand out to catch Isaac, who was at the bottom of the tree dusting himself off. Johnny could only blink in disbelief as Isaac smirked.

“I have some secrets of my own,” he teased, “You might want to take the normal way down.”

Johnny simply nodded and made his way down the ladder, jumping down the last two rungs. His mind was racing. Isaac must have some other super power besides the lightning, probably teleporting or a sort of wind manipulation. All of this on top of knowing at least some basic runes. Who the heck had Johnny developed a crush on?


End file.
